【Highlights】
>Quiz apps gaining ground
直播答题应用骤然火爆
>Female-only parking spots
大号女士停车位引争议
>2017 the 'costliest' year
美气象灾害损失创新高
>Markle quits social media
英准王妃退出社交媒体
>Buzzwords: He's got swag
热词:'范'的英文该咋说?
【Top News】
>Quiz apps gaining ground
直播答题应用骤然火爆
Livestreaming quiz applications are witnessing an explosive surge in China by drawing in a record number of participants in just a few days, making it the next growth frontier of the livestreaming sector in China. The apps, which broadcast a live show, usually invite a host to ask questions of increasing difficulty. Players tap the handset's screen within 10 seconds to lock in answers. Those who can correctly answer all 12 questions will share the prize pool ranging from 100,000 yuan to over a million yuan. The low cost, interactive mode of livestreaming, along with tantalizing incentives, have provided fresh impetus to the livestreaming sector that has often been stereotyped with routine shows and games.
直播答题应用在我国呈现爆发式增长，仅数日之内参与人数便创纪录，成为直播领域的下一个增长前沿。这些应用采用现场直播的方式，常由一位主持人提问，问题难度逐渐增加。玩家在10秒内点击手机屏幕作答。答对全部12道题的玩家将瓜分总额10万元至最高逾100万元的奖金。低成本、直播互动模式以及诱人的奖金为固化在表演和游戏形式的直播行业提供了新鲜动力。(中国日报)
>Female-only parking spots
大号女士停车位引争议
Emblazoned with a black high-heel shoe on a pink background, extra-wide parking spaces for women have sparked debate about sexism on social media. The parking spots at the Jiande and Tonglu highway service areas in Zhejiang are 1.5 times the size of normal spaces, with the color and icon indicating "women only"(see photo). "It's significantly larger, and I find it a very considerate design," said a female driver who recently got her driver's license. However, Sina Weibo has been awash with debate over women's parking spaces, with many contending that the spots perpetuate the stereotype that women are bad drivers. "This is utterly sexist. Parking depends on driving skills, not gender," said a netizen.
粉红底色上画有黑色高跟鞋的超大号女士停车位在社交媒体上引发了关于性别歧视的争论。这些位于浙江省建德和桐庐高速服务区的车位面积是正常车位的1.5倍，颜色和标志都在表明这些车位乃"女士专用"(见图)。一名近日刚拿到驾照的女司机说："这些车位大很多，我觉得这个设计很体贴。"然而，新浪微博上关于女士停车位的争论不断刷屏，许多人认为这些停车位延续了"女性开车技术差"的成见。一位网友称："这完全是性别歧视。停车靠的是技术，而不是性别。"(中国日报)
>2017 the 'costliest' year
美气象灾害损失创新高
Last year will be remembered as the "costliest" one for the US with losses from hurricanes, fires and freezes reaching a record $306 billion, a US government report said Monday. The US had 16 weather and climate disasters in 2017 each with losses exceeding $1 billion. At least 362 people died and many more were injured during the course of the disasters, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its report. "This was the third warmest year since record keeping began in 1895, behind 2012 and 2016, and the 21st consecutive warmer-than-average year for the US (1997 through 2017)," the report said. In fact, the five warmest years on record for the US have all occurred since 2006, it noted, reflecting a long-term warming trend.
8日，美国政府发布的一份报告称，去年将是美国"损失最惨重"的一年，飓风、火灾和寒潮造成的损失达到创纪录的3060亿美元。美国国家海洋和大气管理局在报告中称，2017年美国共经历16起单个损失超过10亿美元的气象灾害事件，导致至少362人死亡，多人受伤。报告称："这是自1895年有记录以来，仅次于2012年和2016年的第三热的年份，也是美国连续第21个(自1997年至2017年)气温高于平均水平的年份。"报告指出，事实上，美国史上最热的五年均出现在2006年之后，这反映出气候变暖的长期趋势。(美媒)
【Newsmaker】
>Markle quits social media
英准王妃退出社交媒体
Meghan Markle deleted all her social media accounts on Wednesday afternoon, including her own Instagram and Twitter. The move comes shortly after her second official royal engagement with Prince Harry. Markle previously shut down her lifestyle blog, The Tig, in April last year, as things got more serious between her and Harry. During her first sit-down interview alongside Prince Harry, Markle talked about giving up her acting career - and, by extension, her independent personal brand - to be a team with Harry. "I don't see it as giving anything up I just see it as a change," Markle said. "Now it's time to work as a team with you," she said, looking straight at Harry.(See photo)
在与哈里王子参加完第二次正式王室活动后不久，10日下午，梅根·马克尔删除了包括Instagram和推特在内的所有个人社交媒体账号。去年4月，随着她与哈里王子的关系变得更认真，马克尔关闭了个人生活博客The Tig。在与哈里王子共同参加的首次访谈中，马克尔谈到自己为了对方不但放弃了表演事业，还放弃了她的独立个人品牌。马克尔说："我视此为改变，而非放弃"。她凝视着哈里王子说："现在，是时候和你并肩而行了。"(见图)(外媒)
【每日热词】
范
Probably a shortening of swagger, this is the meaning of "swag" we now see and hear most often: bold self-assurance of manner or style.
或许是作为swagger(大摇大摆、虚张声势)的缩略词，这是swag如今最常见的词义：大胆自信的姿态或风格(类似于"范")。
Though long disavowed by Justin Bieber who is still popularly associated with the word, it seems as though swag is here to stay regardless. It must, like the people it's used to describe, have a certain je ne sais quoi.
这个词仍然常叫人联想到贾斯丁·比伯，尽管他本人早就否认了这一点，但swag的含义却似乎保留了下来。词义中必然带有某种je ne sais quoi(法语"难以言说的特质")，就像该词曾经用来形容的人。
Example：
Not only does he have a great voice, but he's got swag.
他不仅有副好嗓子，还很有范儿。
【本期难词汇编】
gain ground: 发展，前进
tantalizing: 诱人的(adj.)
incentive: 奖励(n.)
contend: 主张(v.)
perpetuate: 延续，保持(v.)
disavow: 否认，抵赖(v.)
